Furniture handle assembly



Dec. 17, 1968 J. R. DEADRICK FURNITURE HANDLE ASSEMBLY Filed July 8, 1966 INVEN TOR James R. Dcudrick Attorney United States Patent Office 3,416,184 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 3,416,184 FURNITURE HANDLE ASSEMBLY James R. Deadrick, Winston-Salem, N.C., assignor to Stewart-Warner Corporation, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Virginia Filed July 8, 1966, Ser. No. 563,788 4 Claims. (Cl. 16-112) This invention relates in general to drawer pulls and more particularly to a unitary bail and post assembly for a door pull and method of providing a unitary assembly of improved appearance.

The usual approach in supplying door pulls to furniture manufacturers is to provide the posts and bail as separate items. Two posts are assembled by the furniture manufacturer in spaced positions to a drawer with the post ends projecting from the front of the drawer. Each end terminates in a formation which may rotatably receive an end of the bail. The formation may be U-shaped to permit the bail to be assembled to the posts by simple insertion between the legs of the U, or some other formation requiring a more complex operation on the part of the furniture manufacturer and possibly requiring concealment of the bail ends. In any event the furniture manufacturer is required to handle the two posts and bail separately and assemble the three items.

It is therefore proposed in the present invention to provide the furniture manufacturer with a drawer pull in a unitary assembly of the two posts and a rotatable bail. This is done by swaging the bail ends, after they are inserted through annular post openings, to prevent separation of the parts, while maintaining the swaged ends as a part of the decor of the pull. By maintaining the decor of the swaged ends, complex camouflage techniques are avoided.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary assembly of a rotatable bail and posts for a door pull.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of assembling a door pull from a bail and posts.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent on examination of the following specification, claims and drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the assembled door pull;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the pull partially in section to illustrate the manner of assembly to a drawer;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the post and trim; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view illustrating a portion of the post and bail preparatory to assembly.

In FIG. 1 a door pull is indicated by the reference character 10. The pull comprises a pair of spaced posts 12 and 14 each having a conventional trim 16. A bail 18 is rotatably supported between the posts.

As seen in FIG. 2 each post 12 and 14 comprises a hollow internally threaded stern portion 20 for insertion through an opening in a drawer indicated in part by broken lines 22. A screw 24 is received in the hollow stem and serves to secure the post to the drawer by snugging the trim 16 seated in a post recess and backed by a post flange 26 against the front face of the drawer. The posts 12 and 14 are each provided with an integrally formed ring 28 extending from the flange portion. The axes of the rings align along a common horizontal line to form the axis of rotation for the bail 18 whose ends are received in the ring openings 30.

The bail 18 is formed in a conventional hoop portion with straight rod-like ends 34 indicated in FIG. 4. The straight rod-like ends 34 each initially terminate in spherically shaped coaxial head 36 of about .193 diameter.

To assemble the door pull before shipment to the fumiture manufacturer, one of the spherical heads 36 is inserted through opening 30 in the ring of each post so that the rod-like portion 34 journals the bail in each ring. The head 36 is inserted in an appropriate press and swaged, after passing through the ring, with the swaging creating a generally flat wide surface 38 adjacent the equator of the head at about 45 to the horizontal axis of the ring, when the bail is in a vertical position, as shown in FIG. 2, and an oval or spherical shape 40 above that surface. The flattened surface 38 and spherical shape 40 are larger in diameter than the ring opening 30 or offset axially from the ends 34 to prevent retraction of the bail from the posts and thereby form a unitary door pull.

The spherical shape 40 is formed so that when the bail 18 is hanging vertically under the influence of gravity, as shown in FIG. 2, the spherical shape on the head faces upwardly and outwardly from the drawer so as to present a pleasing esthetic appearance of a full sphere while the flat face 38 faces down and inwardly so as to be hidden from view. When the bail 18 is grasped and rotated upwardly preparatory to opening the drawer, the spherical or curved surface 40 is rotated until it appears in a predominantly horizontal position facing upwardly, thereby maintaining the appearance of a complete sphere. This avoids the need for camouflaging or otherwise concealing the swaging ends.

The foregoing constitutes a description of an improved door pull and method of assembling the same with the inventive concepts incorporated in said description believed set forth in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A drawer pull for use in opening a drawer, the improvement comprising a pair of spaced posts for mounting on said drawer with each post having a closed ring at one end spaced from one surface of said drawer, a bail having a generally central plane and journaled in each ring with opposite ends of said bail having a solid head formed thereon passing through and beyond the opening in the respective ring and thereafter expanded along one portion thereof to a dimension greater than the respective ring opening in a direction transverse to the axis of the ring opening to prevent retraction of each head through said opening with the material for said expanded portion being provided by reduction of another portion of said head to a dimension less than the respective opening and terminating in a flat surface lying in a plane located substantially 45 to said bail central plane, and a curved surface on each expanded bail head facing outwardly of said drawer surface and upwardly when said bail is positioned solely under the influence of gravity after said posts are mounted on said drawer to present said curved surface to view.

2. A pull comprising a pair of spaced posts for mounting on a drawer, a closed ring formed at one end of each post and spaced from one surface of said drawer, a bail having a rod at each end adapted to pass through a respective ring for rotatably supporting said bail between said posts, and a solid head at one end of each rod for passage through a respective one of said rings and thereafter decreased across one diameter to a dimension less than the diameter of the respective ring and expanded along at least one other diameter to a dimension greater than the internal diameter of the respective ring in a direction transverse to the axis of the respective ring for thereafter preventing passage of said head through the respective ring whereby said bail and posts are maintained in assembled relationship.

3. A method of assembling a drawer pull comprising the step of passing one end of a bail having a head thereon through a post opening, and swaging said head to form a semisphere thereon of greater diameter than 3 said post opening to prevent retraction of said head through said opening with the curved surface of said sphere facing upwardly and outwardly of a drawer on which said post and hail are supported.

4. A method of assembling a drawer pull comprising the step of passing a rod-like end of a bail terminating in a coaxial head through a post opening with said rodlike end being journaled in said opening, and swaging said head in to offset said coaxial head and thereby prevent retraction of said head through said opening with said swaging forming an esthetic surface on said head facing upwardly and outwardly of said drawer on which References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1964 Roosien 16-112 5/1966 Black 16-126 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 29437 

1. A DRAWER PULL FOR USE IN OPENING A DRAWER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED POSTS FOR MOUNTING ON SAID DRAWER WITH EACH POST HAVING A CLOSED RING AT ONE END SPACED FROM ONE SURFACE OF SAID DRAWER, A BAIL HAVING A GENERALLY CENTRAL PLANE AND JOURNALED IN EACH RING WITH OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID BAIL HAVING A SOLID HEAD FORMED THEREON PASSING THROUGH AND BEYOND THE OPENING IN THE RESPECTIVE RING AND THEREAFTER EXPANDED ALONG ONE PORTION THEREOF TO A DIMENSION GREATER THAN THE RESPECTIVE RING OPENING IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF THE RING OPENING TO PREVENT RETRACTION OF EACH HEAD THROUGH SAID OPENING WITH THE MATERIAL FOR SAID EXPANDED PORTION BEING PROVIDED BY REDUCTION OF ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID HEAD TO A DIMENSION LESS THAN THE RESPECTIVE OPENING AND TERMINATING IN A FLAT SURFACE LYING IN A PLANE LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY 45* TO SAID BAIL CENTRAL PLANE, AND A CURVED SURFACE ON EACH EXPANDED BAIL HEAD FACING OUTWARDLY OF SAID DRAWER SURFACE AND UPWARDLY WHEN SAID BAIL IS POSITIONED SOLELY UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GRAVITY AFTER SAID POSTS ARE MOUNTED ON SAID DRAWER TO PRESENT SAID CURVED SURFACE TO VIEW. 